Topic: help, the sound is crackling, heavy audio distortion here!!!

It started with the I-trip in the car yesterday, couldn't get a clear channel, songs were freezing and the sound was just awful...
now this morning, getting ready to go for a run, I put on my headphones and the nightmare goes on: the sound is crackling as if put on a bad radio station.... tried several songs same results.
I can even hear a vague crackling noise as I turn the music on... the sound is horribly distorted when I play.
And to say I was so happy with my impod mini... actually they're not even on sale here yet, someone brought it back to me from the US....
could someone advise me on what to do?
thank you

I never had an iPod before the Mini and when I first tried it I thought the sound was distorted and had crackeling. Turns out I needed to adjust the gain on my MP3's. I used MP3gain a freeware utility and it worked great. For AAC I used iTunes volume adjust and it works.

Your problem sounds worse than what I was experiencing. Too bad you can't just take it back.

Make sure the EQ setting is off and try with sound check on and off to see if that helps.

Frankly, I'm disgusted. I mean this "thing" (which I called the greatest revolution in my musical life a few days ago) has just died with that audio situation and hasn't gotten better.
The joke is on me as I am living in Belgium and it was brought to me from The US and the guarantee doesn't cover the mini here.
This means sending it back and waiting for months....
I somehow have a feeling the Itrip might have provoked it, but if not I mean this just happened LIKE THAT, from one moment to another. You don't think it has a personal vendetta against Lenny kravitz do you?

I went to the Apple store and they replace my mini. i hope this one last longer, the first one only lasted 35 days!!! not a good record. i told the Apple guy that he may expect more complains about this defect.

i am experiencing hte same exact problem. whenever i select a new song or menu, a crackling sound replaces the current song that is playing, and then the song starts playing again. i sent an email to both apple and circuitcity (which i bought it from) about the situation, circuit city said they would exchange it, but no stores nearby or the circuit city online store have it in stock, and im not sure if this issue is one that can be counted as a "repair" under apple's warranty -

am i allowed to go to an apple store and replace my ipod mini although i did not buy it from them?

i have the SAME exact problem with the iPod mini (its touch sensitive too)... the thing is, i can't just go to the damn apple store and get it replaced, because i got mine online, and laser engraved, too..

Originally posted by Haroldo i am experiencing hte same exact problem. whenever i select a new song or menu, a crackling sound replaces the current song that is playing, and then the song starts playing again. i sent an email to both apple and circuitcity (which i bought it from) about the situation, circuit city said they would exchange it, but no stores nearby or the circuit city online store have it in stock, and im not sure if this issue is one that can be counted as a "repair" under apple's warranty -

am i allowed to go to an apple store and replace my ipod mini although I did not buy it from them?

I have the same problem. Bought from BB, and returned to Apple this afternoon. However they insisted on keeping it overnight for "diagnostic testing" before replacing it. I bought mine on the first day they were released, so I guess the life expectancy for the Mini is 38 days.
That's $6.50 a day. Oh well.
At least Apple stocks replacements, which I'm sure will not be available in Brussels. That's really a shame you will have a tough time getting a new one.

You are exactly right, the life expectancy for the mini is between 35 and 40 days; my new one is doing ok, but now i have that feeling that it will happen again. i'm not enjoying it like when i first bougth it. i was showing it to everybody, now i'm not talking about it anymore. The only good thing about it is that apple store is only 5 minutes away from my office.

My iPOD mini after two weeks of gentle use started to make horrible static noises; sometimes sound will disappear completely. Then the sound will return to normal, but any pressure as small as thumb pressure anywhere on iPod mini will make sounds to come back. Resetting iPod did not help.
Guided by the detailed ?iPod mini Autopsy? posted here on iPodLounge, I disassembled by iPod rather easily. To check the reason of these noises, I started to play the iPod and disconnected the wheel, then the hard drive, but iPod was still playing (out of 25 min flash memory) and still making noises.
Eventually, I narrowed the problem to a small little part that contains headphone and remote jack and metallic part in the shape of the white plastic top.

This small part attaches to main iPod board ONLY via small black connector that sits on on the main board. What an OVERSIGHT on Apple?s ENGINEER"S part!
Theeir mistake is obvious. The small part with the headphone jack attaches via screews to the aluminium case, but does NOT screw to the MAIN board. Because of this any pressure on iPod case, dock connector, or simply plugging in and out headphones, creates TENSION between the small part and the MAIN board.
Since only the black connector sits between these two parts, it quickly wears out.
What is even worse is that the black connector is attached to the main board via ten very fragile copper pins that stick out of the main board (sorry for not using proper electronics terminology). With regular use, contacts get loose and slightest pressure on iPod creates nasty squeaky static type noises killing all the joy iPod brings.

I am sure this problem will surge in time. Future iPOD minis need to have the part with headphone jack screwed to the main board (not just to the case like it is on current MINIs) OR to use FLEXIBLE cable. To rely on ten tiny fragile pins is just plain irresponsible.

If you have the same problem, I do NOT advise you to take apart iPOD. The copper needles that stick out of the main board are very very brittle and once broken will require replacing the entire board.

Here are some picks about the connection taken from my new mini. Picture links are inside a parody love story :-):

Originally posted by loladze My iPOD mini after two weeks of gentle use started to make horrible static noises; sometimes sound will disappear completely. Then the sound will return to normal, but any pressure as small as thumb pressure anywhere on iPOD mini will make sounds to come back. Resetting iPOD did not help.
Guided by the detailed ?iPOD mini Autopsy? posted here on iPODLounge, I disassembled by iPOD rather easily. To check the reason of these noises, I started to play the iPOD and disconnected the wheel, then the hard drive, but iPOD was still playing (out of 25 min flash memory) and still making noises.
Eventually, I narrowed the problem to a small little part that contains headphone and remote jack and metallic part in the shape of the white plastic top.

This small part attaches to main iPOD board ONLY via small black connector that sits on on the main board. What a oversight on Apple?s engineers part!!
With headphones being plugged and unplugged hundreds of times in regular use, this puts pressure on the black connector. What is even worse is that this black connector itself is attached to the main board via ten very fragile copper contacts that stick out of the main board (sorry for not using proper electronics terminology). With regular use, contacts get loose and slightest pressure on IPOD creates nasty squeaky static type noises killing all the joy iPOD brings.
I am sure this problem will surge in time. Future iPOD minis need to have the part with headphone jack screwed or at least fastened to the main board, but to rely on ten tiny fragile connectors is just plain irresponsible.

Right, this is long but please stick with me as i need somebodies help.

I got my Ipod mini from America, so returning it really isn't an option (i'm in the UK). Today i found an old camera case that i thought would be perfect for my mini, so i slotted it in and was playing the tracks and i may have pressed a few buttons of the mini when it was inside the case (i couldn't see it, obviously)

now whenever playing a song if i touch the wheel, or press any of the buttons a horrible crackling noise starts. it is slightly lessoned when i use a different pair of headphones, but is still very much audible. However, this is the weird thing, when i plug the mini into the mains supply the cracking completely stops, and the mini works fine- as soon as i take it out the condition starts again. i just ran a complete restore on the mini and it found i had one corrupt file, but i doubt this may have caused it. atm i'm just updating my mini with my songs and then will check it out.

I'm thinking the sound could be caused by some kind of static, but i do not know much about this topic, please reply i'm in much need